A bipartisan group of lawmakers this month asked the Government Accountability Office to conduct a new review of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s whistleblower protection program after years of inaction despite calls for reform.
In 2015, GAO highlighted a number of weaknesses in the FBI’s whistleblower rules, including a lack of clarity in terms of where whistleblowers can make protected disclosures and an inability of employees who believe they were retaliated against to challenge adverse personnel actions. The following year, Congress passed the FBI Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, a bill aimed at reforming the FBI’s whistleblower protection program, but to date, the Justice Department has not issued regulations to implement the law.
In a letter to Comptroller General Gene Dodaro earlier this month, a group of bipartisan lawmakers asked GAO to examine the issue again. Signing onto the letter were Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Reps. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., and Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y.
“DOJ still has not promulgated regulations to implement Congress’ changes,” they wrote. “Our offices also continue to receive reports that many of the previous flaws found in the GAO report persist and that additional issues, such as retaliation against FBI employees via revocation of security clearances, are on the rise. Finally, unlike other federal employees, FBI employees still are required to make their claims internally...
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